Hull MP calls for Amy Johnson plane to be brought to Hull

Hull North MP Diana Johnson has attacked the National Science Museum’s refusal to loan Amy Johnson’s Gypsy Moth to Hull.

Hull North MP Diana Johnson said: “Hull is a pioneering city and Amy Johnson was one of our greatest pioneers. The Gypsy Moth in which she flew solo to Australia in 1930 – the first woman to do so - is an important part of our history.

“This year’s Amy Johnson Festival and Hull’s year as UK City of Culture in 2017 are both excellent reasons to allow this piece of Hull’s history to be displayed in Hull.

“The Science Museum is much better funded than Hull’s City of Culture - indeed they got even more money from the Chancellor’s recent Autumn Statement. Their objections to bringing the Gypsy Moth to Hull are utterly unconvincing.

“High-value exhibits have been displayed with great success in Hull in recent years and far more delicate artefacts have been transported from their main base before.

“Publicly funded national arts organisations, mainly based in London, should support the UK’s City of Culture – it’s the whole point of having a national City of Culture. What better way could there be for the Science Museum to do this than bringing the Gypsy Moth to Hull?